1. Field of the Invention
Disclosed are pantyhose suitable for an expanded size range such as for plus-sizes and maternity which are knitted to include a panty wherein the front and back portions have different dimensions.
2. Description of Related Art
Plus-size is a generic term for apparel targeted to larger individuals (for example, women over size 14 and men over size XL.) In the United States, over 30% of the total consumer base can be characterized as plus-sized, growing at a rate of 2% per year. Similarly, in Europe, there is an average of 23% of consumers characterized as plus-sized, lead by the United Kingdom with a 47% of the female population above size 14, followed by Germany at 29%. This size group is rapidly increasing in developing countries, such as China and Brazil at a rate of about 5% per year.
Plus-sized women have difficulty finding acceptable hosiery garments, i.e., pantyhose. Currently available hosiery garments are frequently unattractive with built in panels and/or cause the wearer discomfort. The result is that many women in this size range choose to wear pants/trousers rather than wearing pantyhose.